This research guide is an introduction to generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools, their academic applications, and their ethical use. Aligned with Florida Tech’s guidelines for responsible use of GenAI in academic work, it helps you understand when and how to use these tools appropriately.
To simplify the content, we’ve organized it into brief sections and included different formats — such as videos, examples, and interactive activities — to support various learning styles.
We aim to help you develop the skills to use GenAI responsibly, strengthen your Academic Integrity, and make informed decisions as these technologies evolve.
Besides understanding how AI tools work, being familiar with key AI terms and acronyms is important.
Review the Generative Artificial Intelligence: Glossary of AI-Related Terms from the University of Saskatchewan for an extensive list of key terms.
Image: AI-U/v1.0: A student guide to navigating college in the artificial intelligence era by Elon University is licensed under a Creative
Commons Attribution CC BY-NC license.
Several sections of this guide have been adapted or excerpted from the 2025 Student Guide to Artificial Intelligence and the 2024 Student Guide to Navigating College in the Artificial Intelligence Era, published by Elon University and the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U).
Given the rapid advancements in generative AI, some information in this guide may become outdated quickly. It is a work in progress and will be updated regularly to ensure accuracy.
Special thanks to Prof. Joy Patterson, writing tutor, for her help editing this guide, and to Prof. Brock Edmunds, from Boston University Libraries, for granting permission to reuse content from his Comparing Generative AI Tools guide.
The list of AI tools is for informational purposes. Florida Tech does not endorse or support any of the external AI tools referred to in this guide.
